Thursday, July 29, 2010

Conference on Open Access Gateway to Open Innovation & 27th Annual Convention of the Society for Information Science

24-26 November 2010

Jointly organized by Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB) and Bose Institute, Kolkata

Open Innovation

Open Innovation has advantages such as, faster time to market, reducing R&D and product development costs, tapping global pool of experts, getting new product ideas, uncovering ready made solutions and sharing risk with others. Organizations in the era of rising cost of technology development and shorter product life cycles. It enables organizations to expand their reach to the global brain comprising scientists, researchers, students, faculties, research institutes, inventors, consulting firms, small and medium sized businesses and entrepreneurs. It is the use of purposive inflows and outflows of knowledge to accelerate internal innovation. Connections, contacts and communications between industries and experts of different fields are highly important in the innovation processes. It is important to create and encourage contexts and environments where serendipity may occur. Growing attention has recently been devoted to the concept of open innovations both in the academia as well as in the practices of business life, accessing knowledge and skills from outside including academia and national research laboratories.

Open AccessOpen Access is one of the most important issues being currently debated in science community. Open Access model provides opportunities for free and online access to scholarly literature that can be disseminated further with proper author attribution. Significant developments in open access publishing have taken place in recent years with several new major funding policies coming into effect. The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced their Public Access Policy, requiring all peer-reviewed articles resulting from research carried out with NIH funding to be deposited in PubMed Central and to be made freely available within 12 months of publication. Recently, the European Commission has introduced a pilot open access project in relation to the EC Seventh Research Framework Program (FP7) of funding requiring research grant recipients to deposit Open Access copies of published articles into an appropriate repository, the maximum delay being 6 or 12 months, depending on the subject area. The conventional research publications do not reach a wide audience even among scientific community, affecting both its visibility and impact; hence, publishing in OA journals and setting up institutional archives/repositories are important for scientific advancement. As it provides much greater visibility, it also improves impact for research work. In India there are only a few research institutions that have their Institutional Archives/ Repositories in place, Indian Institute of Science, a few constituent laboratories of CSIR and some of the NITs are among those. Initiatives at national level in this direction and motivation of scientific and technological community for their active involvement in this programme are the needs of the hour.

Call for PapersPapers are invited on concepts, working models and case studies on the Theme and sub-themes.

Theme: Open Access: Gateway to Open InnovationSub-Themes:

Open Access Initiatives

Open Access: Paths & Players

Open Access Repositories

Open Access: Data Harvesting /Mining

Open Knowledge Network

Open Source Software and Discovery

Open Standards

Open Source Licensing and Diffusion

Open Innovation

Who should participate?

IT professionals, R&D Managers, Scientists, Library Information Professionals and Research Scholars are welcome to participate.

Although the generic term informetrics has become increasingly popular, scientometrics, bibliometrics and webometrics are all closely related or interlinked sub-disciplines. They belong to the general field of Information Science and are all employed for the quantitative analysis or measurement of all forms of recorded information by studying their distribution, circulation and use pattern largely within or among individuals, disciplines, organisations or countries. The informetric disciplines thus contribute to evidence-based and informed knowledge about scientific research and provide input to research and innovation policy making worldwide. Evidently, a conference of this magnitude always encourages the growth of research and increased national and international collaboration. We are convinced that by organising the conference on African soil, we will be able to popularise research in the areas of informetrics, scientometrics and webometrics within the country and on the continent. The ISSI 2011 Conference will provide an international open forum for scientists, research managers and authorities, information and communication related professionals to debate the current status and advancements of informetric and scientometric theory and applications, with emphasis on the progress of scientometrics and science in developing countries. The conference is organized under the auspices of ISSI – the International Society for Informetrics and Scientometrics. The conference language is English.

Call for Papers

ISSI 2001 invites researchers worldwide to submit original full research papers, research-in-progress papers or posters within the area of informetrics. Major conference themes are listed below. A Doctoral Forum and dedicated tutorials will be held the day prior to the formal conference start.

IEEE International Workshop on Business Applications of Social Network Analysis (BASNA)

15th December 2010, Bangalore, India

The aim of this workshop is to encourage multidisciplinary discussions related to novel ideas and applications geared towards analyzing social network data. By bringing together researchers in the fields of Social Network Analysis (SNA), data mining, and management studies, the workshop will focus on identifying areas of collaboration among their respective disciplines:

The role of data mining techniques in identifying scalable methods for the extraction and organization of social relations for management research and business practice

The role of management research in guiding data mining efforts and SNA metrics development towards theoretically-grounded discoveries about social network emergence.

The role of Social Network Analysis in developing and applying metrics and tools for the mapping, evaluation, visualization, and design of social relations in organizations.

BASNA is seeking original research work which is not yet published or not submitted in any other conferences, journals or magazines. Accepted papers of the workshop would be available via IEEE Xplore digital library.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Organized by: National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA), New Delhi, India

Call for Papers

The first Global Concave of Young Scholars of Indian Education presents a unique opportunity for young scholars (doctoral and post-doctoral researchers and early-career faculty) working on any aspect of Indian education in universities and research institutes in India and abroad to come together, to share and to showcase their research, to network and to publish across boundaries of nations and disciplines. The young scholars will also have the benefit of critique and advice from senior, renowned scholars who shall be invited to give special lectures, to comment on the current status of educational research, to suggest directions for future research, and to discuss the selected papers. Those under 35 years of age are particularly encouraged to apply.

Submission of Proposals and Papers

Given the wide canvas of research on Indian education, the theme for the conclave is open-ended. Papers are invited on any aspect of Indian education. The papers may explore theoretical and ideological orientations, empirical realities, issues of method, design and disciplinary boundaries. They could focus exclusively on Indian education or present comparisons with other countries. In the first instance, abstracts of 300-500 words (including statement of the problem, research strategy and findings) along with contact information, designation, institutional affiliation, disciplinary background and one page CV should be submitted by email to nuepa.conclave@nuepa.org and nuepa.conclave@gmail.com by 25 August 2010. Successful candidates shall be informed by 15 September 2010. Full research papers shall be solicited from the successful candidates by 15 November 2010. All abstract and paper submissions should be formatted in Times New Roman font, size 12, and spaced 1.5 lines. Both abstracts and papers shall be subject to a process of peer review. Papers that lend themselves to publication will be selected for submission as a special issue in an internationally reputed peer-reviewed journal.

Financial SupportA limited number of bursaries towards travel and accommodation expenses will also be provided. Those interested in availing of the bursaries are requested to apply for the same along with their full paper. Those being awarded bursaries shall be informed by 30 November 2010. However, all candidates are advised to explore alternate funding arrangements as it may not be possible to accommodate all the requests for bursaries.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

EU-India Cluster EventPromoting Research, Innovation and Industrial Cooperation between European and Indian Clusters

1 December 2010

Venue: Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, India

Organizers: Delegation of the European Union to India, European Commission, EBTC (European Business Technology Centre), and the Institute for Competitiveness.

Objectives

Globalisation of research and innovation and global competition are putting a new emphasis on the role of clusters and further their development. Clusters increasingly see the need to link with other clusters on the international level building on complementarities in order to improve their global reach and competitiveness.

In Europe, regional clusters seen as key drivers for competitiveness, innovation and regional development are being promoted through both EU Member States national-level measures and EU-level support instruments, notably the 7th EU Research Framework Programme, the Cohesion Policy Funds and the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme.

In India, the promotion of clusters formation and global standards of competitiveness have gained significance and momentum with organization like the CII (Confederation of Indian Industry), the MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) Ministry, the Ministry of S&T and other research & innovation organisations taking initiatives in this direction.

The objective of the EU-India Cluster event is to stimulate and facilitate global outreach of European and Indian clusters through:

Fostering cooperation between research, innovation and industrial clusters in Europe and in India;

Facilitating in Europe and in India access to and contact with the appropriate stakeholders and understanding of their respective research, innovation and industrial environments.

Outline

The programme of the EU-India cluster event will include in particular:

Seminar including presentations of cluster policies, methods and tools in Europe and in India, and existing cooperations between European and Indian clusters;

Presentations of Indian and European clusters, including European networks of clusters, ETPs (European Technology Platforms) and KICs (European Knowledge Innovation Communities), and one-to-one meetings between cluster stakeholders with a forum of personalised discussion, and exhibition space for clusters;

Reception and informal networking.

Targeted participants

Managers of Indian and European clusters as well research, industrial, financial stakeholders of European and Indian clusters; European and Indian officials from ministries, embassies and research and innovation agencies.

The event is open to all technology fields and industrial sectors, with particular focus on water-related challenges in relation to health, environment and agriculture.

On the European side, the targeted participants also include European networks of clusters, as well as the European Technology Platforms and the European Knowledge Innovation Communities.

TCI 13th Global Annual Conference is an initiative to celebrate the evolution of clusters and their impact on the economic order based on growth and prosperity and we hope to see you be part of the Indian voyage to competitiveness. 13th TCI Annual Global Conference, organized in collaboration with the Institute for Competitiveness India and the Management Development Institute, will gather practitioners from Indian and global clusters to create an expansive discussion platform for the future of clusters. With over 300 delegates present from all over the world, including cluster managers, CEOs, academics, representatives from governments, international organizations and development agencies, the conference will be the place to meet and share policies, development methods and practices and facilitate the exchange of innovation, learning and research, and also to forge business and academic ties for future, long-term benefits.

Call for Proposals

Practitioners around the world are invited to submit papers or proposals for presentations on the theme "Innovative Clusters and Prosperity". The conference will include a session where ideas and processes examining clusters and competitiveness are to be presented.

Format: Abstracts of proposed presentations should consist of a cover page and an abstract of the proposed presentations.

The cover page should contain: Title of the presentation, Full name and title (Mr, Mrs, Dr, Professor etc), name of the organization / company, country, job title, a brief CV of not more than 200 words, contact email address and telephone number.

The abstract should contain: Brief details of the main areas of the presentation and should be no longer than 1000 words. We specially encourage young practitioners to submit an abstract. CV's and abstracts must be emailed to submissions@competitiveness.in

Deadlines15 August 2010 Submission of abstracts31 August 2010 Notification for selected abstracts

Selection: The selected presentations would be presented at a special session dedicated to new ideas and theories. You would need to formally register for the conference to present your ideas within the session proceedings.

Best Presentation Award: The best presentation at the session would receive a special mention and an award would be announced at the conference.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Social science from Western countries continues to have the greatest global influence, but the field is expanding rapidly in Asia and Latin America, particularly in China and Brazil. In sub-Saharan Africa, social scientists from South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya produce 75% of academic publications. In South Asia, barring some centres of excellence in India, social sciences as a whole have low priority. These are a few of the findings from World Social Science Report, 2010: "Knowledge divides".

Produced by the International Social Science Council (ISSC) and co-published with UNESCO, the Report is the first comprehensive overview of the field in over a decade. Hundreds of social scientists from around the world contributed their expertise to the publication. Gudmund Hernes, President of the ISSC, Adebayo Olukoshi, Director of the United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP), Hebe Vessuri, Director, Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC), and François Héran, Director of Research, National Institute for Demographic Studies (INED), France, are among the experts who presented the Report during its official launch at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 25 June 2010.

National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) invites applications from qualified young Internet professionals from Academia, Industry, Civil Society, Public Sector and Media for the NIXI Fellowship Programme. The objective is to groom the Next Generation Leaders in the field of Internet Technology, Policy & Business.

Eligibility: A Graduate in any branch of knowledge with a deep understanding of IT & Internet related issues. Preference will be given to those who are engaged in Research or have working experience in these areas.

Age: Minimum 21 years and Maximum 35 years. (as on 1.7.2010)

No. of Fellowships: 30

Duration of Fellowship: 1 year

Mode of Selection: Based on Interview (including Telephonic Interview) of short listed candidates